Background
The bladesong (Megilir in Elvish), is a light and fast fighting style developed by the Elves millennia ago.
Armor & Weapons
Warriors use very light leather armor and wields two small Elven swords that resemble the Japanese wakizashi.
Tessa did so. She had come to the training hall today for her first combat evaluation, and she was dressed for battle — though, to Merai, her choice of equipment was curious. She wore light leather armor designed to emphasize flexibility over protection: a sleeveless cuirass that stopped just below her ribcage, strap-on guards that fit over her shins and forearms, and a belt with hanging dags of hardened leather to shield her groin and backside. Strapped across her back were two scabbards that held a pair of small, light swords that she had brought with her from Aelfwood. Her shoes were soft, flexible, and unlikely to provide much protection from an enemy blade. Underneath her armor she wore a simple grey tunic and shorts, leaving much of her lightly-tanned skin exposed. Around her neck she wore a small wooden twin-cross, the mark of the Lothanasi.
Dances, by RavenB, MK story
Style Note
The bladesong (Megilir in Elvish), which uses fast, elaborate dance-like movements to confuse opponents. The technique works best in combat when the fighter has solid ground underfoot and open space to maneuver; they can spin and twirl around and through a group of opponents like a dervish, taking enemies by surprise while they're preoccupied with the bigger, stronger fighters.
On the opposite side of the ring, Tessa flipped her left sword around into a "blade-back" position and extended her left arm in front of her, the blade jutting out to the left with its cutting edge facing outward. At the same time she raised her right arm so that the second blade was above her head, while her left foot came forward so that her body was turned to the right.
In that moment, though, Merai would have found it difficult to say that Tessa was actually moving _forward:_ she took broad, sweeping steps that seemed to move toward the wolf's left, then bob, turn, move back towards his right, then change direction again only moments later, always moving towards him little by little as she did so. All of this shifting, weaving motion was perfectly fluid, like the writhing of a snake, but it was very difficult for the eye to follow and even more difficult to predict. Merai found herself several times expecting the half-Elf to move one direction, only to see her a moment later in another place entirely.
All the while that this was going on, Tessa was moving her arms as well, sweeping them this way and that in broad, artful patterns. The flashing of the steel blades created an almost mesmerizing effect, making it even more difficult for Merai to follow Tessa's movements. All told, it looked more like a dance than a fighting style.
James, apparently having had enough of Tessa's artistry, moved to attack, bringing his shield up and striking out with his longsword in a few quick, careful slashes. From Merai's perspective it looked like he had the openings he was looking for — but each time he swung, one of Tessa's swords would inexplicably appear to counter it. Her smooth, artful movements never faltered as she danced all around the wolf, blocking his attacks without any apparent effort. James slashed at her at least a dozen times, from several different angles, but never even came close to scoring a hit.
James' attack faltered, as the wolf apparently decided how to deal with this strange opponent — and then Tessa moved to the offensive. There was no disruption to her dance, but the blades she had been swinging in defense now subtly shifted to assault. Swords struck at James' arms, legs, neck, sword, and back, seeking out joints in the armor and other vulnerable spots with blows that seemed elegant, precise and deceptively slow.
James tried to block the attacks, but most of the time his sword or shield ended up in a place entirely different from where Tessa's blade struck. None of the half-Elf's blows were particularly powerful, but had her swords been unbated she would have been systematically cutting the wolf's armor to shreds.
Dances, by RavenB, MK story
The Cadence
[Tessariel says] "I lost the Cadence."
Merai frowned. "What's the Cadence?" she asked, puzzled. "And what in the name of Dokorath was that fighting style you were using, anyway?"
"The style is called Megilir, the Bladesong. The Cadence is the rhythmic pattern of thought and motion that governs it. When the wolf came at me with his shield, it surprised me, and I lost that pattern. I failed."
Dances, by RavenB, MK story
Sources
Dances, by RavenB, MK story, MK Wiki entry- Tessariel
